Don't Panic
by bittersweet-poetry
Summary: After her father's death, Malena Valverde feels her life is spinning out of control. One moment, her guards are down, the other, they're back up, higher than ever. Harry is pulled by her, but can he get past her vulnerability's effects?
1. Chapter 1: Useless

First of all, I'd like to let you know this is my first fan fiction! Criticism is always welcome, it'd be great to know where I could tweak some things! I do not own anything except the Valverdes, everything else belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling.

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><p>As the Weasleys and Harry waited their turn while standing in the queue, Malena couldn't help but overhear bits and pieces of their conversation.<p>

"Excuse me," Malena's voice trembled as she managed to croak out the two words, it was the first time she had spoken since last night.

"Yes?" Arthur turned around, looking down at the girl with blood-struck eyes.

"I'm sorry for eavesdropping, Sir, but I heard you had an idea of who had conspired yesterday's attacks."

"Oh, well, see that mark?" He pointed up at the hazy skull floating between the clouds. "It's the Dark Mark, You-Know-Who's mark. His followers conjured it, the Death-Eaters."

Malena bit her lip as tears stung her eyes, "Oh."

"Are you alone?" Arthur noticed her stiffen a bit.

"The Spanish team's tent was attacked by the masked men yesterday. Some managed to escape, but my father had lent me his wand earlier that night and was..useless. They set the tents on fire afterwards." She muttered briefly, clenching her teeth harder against her chapped lips. She was sure her brown hair was tousled everywhere and as she lowered her eyes, embarrassed of not being able to contain herself in front of these strangers, she noticed her jeans were torn near her thighs and knees and her golden sweater had grass stains and smears around the scarlet letters that read "Spain" across her arms.

Arthur sighed deeply, "I am very sorry for your loss, Miss.."

"Valverde."

Ron's eyes widened a bit as he stepped forward, pointing his index finger at her as he slowly came to realization. "Was your father Spain's Se-"

"José María Valverde. Spain's Seeker, yes." She nodded quickly as she fiddled with her fingers.

She heard someone clear their throat and slowly say, "We are all very sorry for your loss, he was a great player." and as she raised her head to meet the speaker's gaze, and she recognized him. The Chosen One, The Boy who Lived,_ Harry Potter. _As she scanned the rest of the ginger crowd, she noticed they were the Weasleys and next to Ron, stood a bushy haired girl she remembered dueling against last year in Defense Against the Dark Arts, _Hermione._

The second their eyes met, Harry opened his mouth, "Aren't you in Hogwarts?"

"Yes, third year."

"You're in Slytherin, I remember you from our duel last year." Hermione said, a small smile of empathy curling up.

Unfortunately, not everyone was pleased at the revelation of her house. She noticed the red-haired clan wince a bit and Ron stepped back. The message was clear, her presence made them uncomfortable, and though she would usually dismiss these before, her vulnerability was low with everything that had gone on and she felt a pang of offense take over her body. Anger started bubbling inside her so she decided leaving now would be best before she spit anything she'd regret later on. She gave them a curt nod and stepped away from the line, reaching for her wand. She grabbed hold of an Irish scarf laying on the ground and whispered "_Portus"_ before leaving.

"Portus. That's advanced magic. It's in 5th year's curriculum." Hermione said, her eyebrows crinkling.

"Oi, well you never know what you'll get with those Slytherins. Some dark wizard in her family probably taught it to her to escape from Aurors." Ron grumbled, turning to Harry, whose stare was still fixed upon the spot where Malena had disappeared.

There was something about her he couldn't shake. Although he was almost certain her mum was English, it was obvious her looks leaned over to her Spanish side. Her skin was olive instead of pale. Her auburn mane was dark and flowed down, spiraling at the ends near her elbows. She had dark eyes, almost black even, surrounded by thick eyelashes that outlined her almond-shaped eyes.

And last but not least, she was a _Slytherin_.


	2. Chapter 2: Judgmental Git

**This is long overdue, I'm so sorry! I got caught up with school and life and I needed time to sort things out. Everything belongs to J.K Rowling with the exception of the characters I created. Enjoy! :)**

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><p>Once they had arrived at King's Cross, each clutching their cart, had started running to the platform. Fred, George, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron had all gone already, and only Harry was left.<p>

Just as he looked forward and started to pace towards the brick wall, his eyes found their way back to a familiar head of waves.

"Your father would be proud, Malena." A woman, who Harry assumed to be Malena's mother, sighed as she hugged Malena tightly.

"Sí, Mamá. Te amo." Malena clenched her eyes, holding back tears, muttering other Spanish words at her mother. "I need to go or I'll be late."

Her mother patted her shoulders and gave her daughter a small smile, before letting Malena turn her cart around, now facing Harry.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" She said lowly, gesturing towards the platform.

"Oh, right, sorry." Harry murmured, passing through the platform and quickly boarding the train, undoing his trunk and covering Hedwig's cage with his robes.

He took a seat alone, waiting for Hermione and Ron to come back from chatting with Neville about the World Cup.

Malena sauntered through the narrow hallway, but stopped as she saw the nearly empty compartment with only Harry inside.

"Are these seats taken?" She asked, subconsciously biting an edge of her bottom lip.

"Um, Hermione and Ron are coming over soon, but there's space for one more person."

Malena nodded and took the seat across from his, next to the window. "I know I'm not exactly welcome, but all the others are taken." She shook her head, grabbing a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans from her bag.

"What makes you say that?" Harry asked, crinkling his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes, chewing down a cinnamon flavored bean. "Don't play dumb, Potter."

"Well, we've never had any good experiences with Slytherins. Neither have the rest of the houses, really. You've all earned quite the reputation." Harry chuckled lowly.

Malena's expression changed completely, as if she had been caught unaware. "With all the glorified crap that's been spread by the press idolizing you as a modest hero, I wouldn't have taken you as presumptuous." Malena glared at Harry, wiping the grin off his face.

"Assuming you know me based on what the press says makes _you_ just as presumptuous." Harry shrugged, hiding his hands in his pockets.

"Pardon?" Malena scowled, twisting the plasting bag's top so the beans wouldn't scatter out while inside her bag. "You and the rest of the Weasleys basically cowered at the sound of 'Slytherin'. Without even knowing me!" She snarled. Harry noticed how her brown orbs became darker as she got angrier, and how her tongue twisted and turned in her mouth, spitting every word like a dagger.

"You don't know us either." Harry responded quickly, clenching his fists under the jean fabric.

"Well, if you could assume, then so can I. You're a judgmental git."

"Hah, really?" Harry's laugh was obviously cynical and he simply turned his face towards the window, watching the landscape.

Malena breathed deeply, annoyed, and rested her head against the window's frame, hoping to fall asleep, but before her eyelids had closed completely, she heard footsteps approaching the compartment.

"There you are!" Hermione smiled widely. "Hello," she chimed at Malena.

"Hi." Malena forced a small smile at Hermione, reminding herself Hermione had nothing to do with her recent row with Harry.

Ron, on the other hand, tensed the second he acknowledged Malena, but Hermione quickly elbowed him, making Ron scrunch up his lips and raise his eyebrows at Malena.

The rest of the train ride was awkward. Hermione kept trying to make small talk, but Malena excused herself for a nap and asked Hermione to wake her when they were near.

After Malena felt Hermione's fingers tapping on her shoulder, she shook her head and walked out of her compartment to reach for her robes in the back.

"Why was _she_ here?" Ron asked as soon as he heard her footsteps fade until they were no longer heard over the loud chatter among the rest of the students.

"There were no other available spaces." Harry replied, dully.

"What's up with you? Both of you?" Hermione frowned.

"She called me a judgmental git." Harry grimaced dryly.

"Well with how you've both been behaving, I only assumed anyone with two fingers in front of them would have noticed by now! You're both ridiculous!" Hermione's tone sounded stern and her eyebrows furrowed in disapproval.

"But Hermione, she's got to have some evil in her, God knows how bad she reall-" Ron was quickly interrupted by Hermione.

"Ronald Weasley, she just lost her _father_!" Hermione stressed, dropping her fists on her thighs. "And she thinks it was her fault! You've got to have at least a bit of empathy!"

"Hermi-"

"That's enough." All of their heads looked over to the open compartment door where Malena stood, already decked in her Slytherin uniform and holding a cage with a hooting, brown barn owl. "It's pretty obvious I'm not wanted here and although I appreciate you trying, Granger, it seems some people have assumed they already know it all, when in reality, they know nothing. Now, if you'd excuse me and get your inflated heads out of your arses, I'll be leaving." She never raised her tone, but her words managed to sting them nonetheless before she calmly shut the door and turned on her heel towards the narrow hallway.

"I guess you deserved that." Hermione muttered, a small smirk curling on her lips as she watched Ron swallow his pride and Harry stare at his shoe's laces.

Once the first years had been sorted and the feast began, Harry's eyes had kept going back to the Slytherin table, where Malena was seated. She had looked better now than before. She had more color and her eyes seemed less dark, but still, as she stared blankly at the food around her, he noticed the idea of her father's death had yet to dawn over her.


	3. Chapter 3: Forgive Me?

**Hello! I apologize in advance for not being able to update as much as I'd like to! School's gotten in the way and I've been trying to order my priorities correctly. Anyways, I used Daniel Radcliffe's physical attributes instead of Harry's (blue eyes instead of green eyes), hope it's okay with you guys. I would love reviews too and thank you to the people who have favorited the story or put it on alert! I appreciate it a lot. Enjoy! :)**

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><p>As Harry laid in his bed that night, his mind couldn't stop wandering back to his argument with Malena earlier that day. Unlike Ron, who'd continued to be stubborn and refused to admit he was wrong, Harry had felt a pang of guilt after noticing Malena wasn't completely over her father's death. He decided he needed some fresh air to clear his mind, so he snatched his invisibility cloak and made his way out of the common room.<p>

Harry had to constantly shake the clouding mental images of Malena nibbling on her food away and hadn't noticed he had crashed into a jar, making it fall and shatter.

"Who's there?" He heard a small voice whisper in the darkness. "Lumos." The voice quivered and as the wand glowed and revealed the person. It was Malena.

After a few seconds of deliberation, Harry decided to take the cloak off and show himself. "Malena, it's me."

She slowly raised her wand to his face's height and quickly retreated it back to her side. "Oh." She muttered, turning on her heel.

"Wait! Malena!" Harry found the words to involuntarily spill out of his mouth.

"What do you want, Potter?" Her accent seemed to slip whenever she pronounced his last name, failing to make her tone intimidating, but her eyes made up for it. The way her irises narrowed and darkened whenever they glared at him caused a shiver to run down his spine and a sense of uneasiness to loom over him.

"I just wanted to apologize for acting like a complete git. You were right, I-I was presumptuous and judgmental." He stumbled over his words as he noticed her aggressive demeanor did not soften at all.

"Is that all? Because I really didn't need your approval on my conclusion." She snapped.

Harry gulped and rubbed his sweaty palm on his trousers. "C-Can we start over?"

"No." Malena answered, already turning to walk away.

"Malena." Harry grabbed her arm and turned her back to face him. "Why not?"

Malena's eyes looked down at his pale hand that still held her tanned arm and then back up at his green eyes. Harry noticed her guard had lowered, closeness seemed to disturb her. "Because I don't want to. Now let me g-."

Their heads both swerved in the direction from where sound of approaching footsteps and a small, bright light was coming from.

Harry's right arm quickly snaked around her waist and covered them with his cloak with his other. "Don't..make..a sound," Harry ordered lowly as he craned his neck slightly, his lips tickling her ear. She just nodded and gulped, watching the distant light come closer. Harry slowly directed them against the wall, standing side by side, watching Filch pass by with his lantern in hand.

"I'm no nutter," Filch groaned, "someone's here, I can smell ya!"

Malena carefully reached for her wand inside her jumper's pocket and levitated a jar ahead of them, then dropping it, creating a loud ruckus. Filch's head swerved in the direction of the accident. "You better stop that right now!" He yelled, jogging over to the broken jar. Malena continued breaking the jars along the hallway, using it as a bait to distract Filch away.

"Good thinking," Harry sighed, smirking at Malena. She only grasped the arm encircling her waist, and shoved it back against his side.

"If you weren't such a clumsy mess, we could have avoided that." She lifted the cloak off her and started making her way to the common room.

"Malena!" Harry growled, reaching her quickly in only two strides, "Can you stop being so bloody stubborn and just agree so I can have a clean conscience?"

What Harry thought had been a good solution in his head only made matters worse.

"I don't give a damn about your bloody conscience, Potter! You just proved yourself to be more of an arrogant bastard than before! I'm not some charity case so don't you even dare pitying me!_ I _pity_ you_! Now, is your conscience clean yet?" Malena snarled in response, jabbing her index finger in his chest with every word.

"How am I being arrogant if I'm practically begging you to forgive me! If anyone's being arrogant, it's you!" Harry groused back, his voice raising.

"Are you even hearing yourself?" Malena spat out, getting angrier with each of Harry's mutters.

Harry only rolled his eyes at her. "You're unbelievable," he groaned.

Malena only huffed and turned around for the third time, and for the third time, Harry stopped her.

"Can you please just forgive me?" Harry pled, his blue gaze softening in front of her.

"Anything to get you off my case." She whispered softly, dropping her folded arms to her sides. "Good night, Potter." She said before turning away and heading to Common Room.


	4. Chapter 4: An Average Girl

**Hello! I'll try my best to make more constant updates! Thanks to those who have reviewed or put the story on alert. I appreciate it a lot. :)**

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><p>Walking to the Slytherin Common Room, Malena couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened. How she had just weaseled her way out of trouble with <em>Harry Potter. <em>How she had actually _enjoyed_ it, but she quickly dismissed the thought of taking pleasure in his company and called it an "adrenaline rush" instead. After all, she had agreed to forgive him to get him off her case, not because she actually forgave him. All in all, he was still an judgmental git. Only now, he was an _honest_ judgmental git.

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><p>The next few weeks, Hogwarts was buzzing about the Triwizard Tournament during the Halloween lunch. Students from each house hoped someone of their own would represent the school.<p>

"I really hope you get it, Angelina!" Hermione chimed, patting her shoulder.

"Yeah, better you than Pretty-Boy Diggory." Seamus said, scowling at Cedric and his Hufflepuff posse.

Malena had overheard and scowled at Seamus from afar, turning her gaze back towards Cedric.

"Tell me you aren't fawning over Diggory." Daphne snarled, rolling her eyes at Malena.

"Of course not." Malena managed to spit out, forcing herself to look away. Like most pureblooded families, the Diggory's and the Valverde's were close. Cedric and Malena had basically grown up together. She had even developed a small crush on Cedric ever since he gave her a Nimbus 2000 as a birthday present when she turned 12. She remembered how her father used to tease her, "You don't just give _anyone_ a Nimbus 2000, Lena. Cedric liking you isn't a bad thing anyways. What's not to like about Malena Valverde?" She reminisced about looking forward to those yearly Christmas parties at the Diggory manor, especially standing under the mistletoe with Cedric during last year's party. How softly he kissed her, how his hand gently crept up to cup her cheek, how her knees trembled when he slowly pulled away and smiled down at her. But none of that mattered now, rumor has it he was romantically linked to Cho Chang. Shivering back to reality at the though of Cho, she muttered "I'm over Cedric."

As much as Malena said it, she never fooled anybody but herself. She'd tighten her eyelids and say it to herself whenever her mind was clouded with their memories, but she always knew it wasn't true. Cedric was her second love, after Quidditch of course. Her favorite feeling was soaring over fields of grass in her brooms, but kissing Cedric Diggory was a close second.

"That's what you always say yet whenever I see you, your eyes are glued on the bloke." Daphne answered annoyed, but Malena's mind had drifted back to Cedric. What was so special about Cho anyways? She wasn't _that _pretty, or talented, or smart. Well, she must've been smart to be in Ravenclaw, but she wasn't _brilliant_. She was plain to Malena, but she knew Cedric thought otherwise.

Did Cedric ever think Malena was pretty? Or talented? Or smart? Was Malena just plain? Was that why he'd moved on so fast and why Malena was stuck living in a childish past? That's probably all Malena ever was to Cedric. A childish crush that was part of his childish past. Maybe the kiss they'd shared wasn't as gentle and soft and knee-buckling as she thought it had been. Maybe it was an average kiss with an average girl.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and everyone's head turned in his direction. "Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," said Dumbledore. "When the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber where they will be receiving their first instructions."

The flames turned red and pit out a piece of parchment. "Durmstrang champion will be Viktor Krum!" Dumbledore announced, a storm of applause sweeping the entire Hall as Krum walked over into the chamber.

"The champion for Beauxbatons will be Fleur Delacour!" The instant he finished his sentence, two other Beauxbatons students dissolved in tears while Fleur disappeared into the chamber.

"Lastly, the Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory!" Malena's stomach flipped in excitement for him, but she contained herself, her eyes painfully following his figure until he walked inside the dark chamber.

"Excellent! We now have our three ch-" Just when Dumbledore had started his sentence, the goblet had once again turned red and spit out another scrap of parchment. "Harry Potter."

Everyone turned to face Harry, whose face was furiously blushing. "I didn't put my name in," He said to Ron and Hermione who stared at him blankly.

"Harry Potter!" The headmaster called. "Up here if you please!" Malena watched as Harry gulped heavily and started trotting over to Dumbledore. When he passed by her, he looked up at her, worry and fear were evident in his eyes. She held his gaze and Harry immediately looked down. Her message had gotten across loud and clear without having to even mutter a word. After last night's ordeal, she had to admit she changed how she thought of Harry. His apology seemed sincere, but now, after cheating his way in the tournament, she started doubting him again. He was probably just trying to make her feel sorry for him; it was all just part of his act and she was not about to fall for it.


	5. Chapter 5: Good luck, Harry

After the champions had been chosen, everyone was dismissed to their respective common rooms.

Daphne started walking out, but turned around when she realized Malena wasn't following and was still sitting down, fiddling with her fingers.

"Lena? You coming?" She asked. Malena's eyes deviated from her fingers to Daphne and back to the champions' room's entrance.

"No, go ahead. I'll catch up later."

Daphne simply rolled her eyes and left.

When Malena heard voices coming from the entrance, she swiftly stood up, straightening any awkward folds her skirt had.

"Cheers, mates! I wish you all the best of luck!" A husky voice exclaimed. She turned around to see who the person was and saw a familiar head of dirty blond waves emerging from the tunnel, his back facing her as he walked backwards.

"Cedric," She exhaled, his name easily rolling down her tongue.

Cedric turned around and she swore she saw his smile drop for a moment, but he quickly grinned again. It seemed a bit forced, but Malena pushed any negative thoughts out of her head.

"Malena, hi." Cedric responded, striding towards her.

"Congratulations on getting chosen as our champion. Your father will be so proud once he finds out."

"Thank you," Cedric replied, his hand rubbed the nape of his neck nervously, "I can't wait to tell him."

Malena nodded, shifting her weight from side to side.

"Lena, I heard about your father. I'm terribly sorry," Cedric said faintly, his grey eyes focusing back on her own brown ones.

"It's," Malena bit her lips, "okay. I've been fine, don't worry." Malena didn't want to be pitied by anybody, much less by _Cedric._

"Malena," Cedric whispered, his hand grasping her shoulder gently. "I'm here for you. You know that, right?"

_Quit being such a priss_, she thought to herself. Malena cleared her throat and straightened her back, the edges of her mouth curving up in a small smile. "Cedric, I'm fine. Really. Be safe during the tournament."

"Cedric," Another feminine voice called from the room's exit, Cedric's hand promptly dropping from her shoulder.

"Cho!" Cedric exclaimed, reaching the small Ravenclaw's side within seconds.

Malena felt her cheeks blush when she saw the girl peck his cheek and engulf her arms around him before felicitating him. Even worse, she noticed how their fingers intertwined as they spoke between themselves.

"I'll try, Malena. See you around." He said over his shoulder, leaving her alone again.

As she sat back down, she heard footsteps approaching the tunnel again, only this time, it was Potter. Potter with his messy black hair and his pair of sapphire eyes and his hands in his pockets.

He looked up when realized he wasn't alone. "Mal-"

"I don't know _how _you did it, but-"

"I didn't! I swear I didn't! Malena, I didn't put my name in the goblet! I swear!" Harry abruptly refuted, briskly removing his hands from his pockets and letting them hang by his sides as he shrugged his shoulders.

She didn't know why she believed him, she just did. Whether it was the quickness in his response, or his taut demeanor, or how his blue orbs softened in anguish; she didn't know what pulled her to conclude he was telling the truth. Less than an hour earlier, she was so sure he had been a cheater when she saw him walk over when Dumbledore called him, but now…now she wasn't so sure anymore and it irked her. It peeved her that she had changed her mind so fast without even knowing why. Surely, it wasn't because she had _feelings_ for Potter. Half of the sentences they had ever exchanged to each other were insults, so it wasn't possible for her to like Potter. That would be silly; it wouldn't make any sense at all.

Malena held his gaze, narrowing her eyes at him and folding her arms against her chest.

"Malena, please believe me. I wouldn't do this." His voice faltered and it all seemed like a plead.

She furrowed her eyebrows, "Why do you care what I think about you anyways?"

"Because I want to know that at least one person believes me. One person from the thousands in this school who don't." He replied, "Including my own friends." He added softly, pulling both lips in mouth.

"Well," Malena said, releasing her folded arms. "I believe you," she announced reluctantly.

"Really?" His eyes seemed to flicker in what seemed like a mixture of shock and delight.

"Yes." She said, glancing at her shoes and then back at Harry. "The idea of submitting yourself in a life-threatening contest seems kind of absurd. Even more if you're underage, you have less of an advantage."

"I don't know if I find your words comforting anymore," Harry chuckled lowly.

"The truth hurts, Harry." She sat back down. She didn't feel like going out and risking the chance of running into Cedric or Cho or worse, Cedric _and_ Cho.

Harry sat down next to Malena and they both just sat in silence. The atmosphere wasn't tense; the silence wasn't awkward. In fact, it may have been better moments, if not their best. They weren't talking, but at least they weren't spitting venomous words at each other.

"Why were you still here? When I came out, I mean." Harry interrupted the quiet, moving a bit to face her.

She hesitated for a while, but turned a bit on her spot to face him better too. "I was waiting for Cedric, but he already left with Cho."

"Oh," Harry responded, his hands snaking their way back to his pockets, remembering their small encounter in the train when he was buying sweets from the carriage and how they exchanged shy smiles. He had taken notice of Cho Chang since the day Gryffindor played against Ravenclaw during last year's season. Everyone was shaking hands like the protocol stated, but when Cho took Harry's hand, he only wondered how hands could be that soft and how a smile could make him so fidgety. "Good luck, Harry." It had only taken her three words to erupt fluttering in his stomach.

"Anyways, I better get going now." Malena sighed. "Good luck, Harry." She nodded at him before walking out.

_Good luck, Harry._

And the fluttering erupted.

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><p><strong>I'm spicing things up a bit now, but I assure you, I won't rush things either. Honestly, I only have like 10 chapters planned out, the rest I'll make up as I go, haha. Also, I'm looking for any betas for this story! If you're interested, just send me a message. :) So, Team CedricTeam Harry? Team Cho/Team Malena? Anything you liked/disliked? Reviews are welcome! Thanks to all of those who have reviewed/favorited/put on alert/read, it means a lot! **


	6. Chapter 6: See You Around

**Hello again! I'm finally on break so that means I have more time to write! **

**The first two sentences are exactly like they're written in GoF, so I take no credit for writing those. The rest was written by me. Enjoy!**

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><p>When Harry woke up on Sunday morning, it took him a moment to remember why he felt so miserable and worried. Then the memory of the previous night rolled over him. He wanted to speak to Ron, to convince him that he wasn't lying, but Ron's bed was empty. He had already gone downstairs for breakfast along with the rest of his roommates. The second he set foot out of the common room, he was face-to-face with Hermione, who held up toasts on a napkin.<p>

"Thought it'd be a good idea to bring you these with how everyone's been acting towards you." She beamed, handing him the stack.

"Good idea, thanks." He replied, eagerly biting into the first toast.

They walked around the lawn surrounding the Great Lake, the only sound being Harry's chewing, until Hermione decided to break the ice.

"I know you didn't enter yourself. You were paler than the usual when Dumbledore read your name out loud." She said, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Does Ron still think I entered myself?"

Hermione hesitated before murmuring, "He's jealous, Harry." When she saw Harry's face scrunch up in confusion, she continued talking before he could reply. "You always get all the attention even if you don't do it on purpose. He's got competition with his brothers at home and his best friend's the famous 'Boy Who Lived'. He copes with it all very well, but I think he's finally cracked."

"Well, he's welcome to switch places with me any times he wants." He spat bitterly.

Hermione was obviously uncomfortable about the situation. She didn't want to pick sides between her two best friends so she decided to drop it before things escalated. "Anyways, you should write to Sirius. He asked you to keep him updated."

Harry just nodded slightly and they started walking to the Owlery. When they arrived, Hermione gave Harry what he'd need and started examining the long lines of perches, all stocked with different owls. As Harry looked for a window sill to write his letter against, he noticed the nearest one was taken by Malena. Her auburn hair was in a long plait with a few loose ringlets near her ears. After Malena had finished scribbling down her own letter, she turned around and faced a frazzled Harry.

"How long have you been standing there?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I-I, n-not long." He stammered, swallowing hard. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "I was waiting for you to finish so I could write my letter against the window sill."

"Oh, well it's all yours now." She stepped aside so he could pass and started tying her letter onto her owl, a small, brown tawny owl. "Send it to mum, Pedro." She whispered to her owl, stroking its feathers.

Harry snorted and turned his head in her direction. "Pedro?"

"What about Pedro?" Malena asked defensively.

"Nothing." He stifled his laughter and continued writing.

"Potter, what's wrong with the name Pedro?" She questioned again after her owl had flown away.

"Isn't that an … odd name for an owl?"

"I named her after Spain's best seeker. My dad was close to his record though." Malena stated, picking up her things and putting them inside her bag with a leather tag that read J.M.V.

"So it's a she? Named Pedro?" Harry teased, his smile widening.

She jerked around to face him, failing to hide her smile any longer. "I found out it was a she a month after I got her. It was already too late." She laughed as she swung her bag on her shoulder.

Harry eyed her playfully and tried to tie his letter to another barn owl, remembering Sirius had asked him not to use Hedwig for safety precautions.

"Let me help you," She stepped in after seeing him struggle to tie it on the frenzied owl. Her small hands brushed against his as she gently tied a knot on its small leg. "There you go." The owl gratefully hooting at her before leaving. She noticed her hands were still grazing Harry's and turned around to face him, the balls of her feet slowly lowering until they were flat against the cobblestone floor. Their eyes met. Their hands still touched and she even swore she felt him stroke his finger against the top of her hand.

"Harry, are you finish-" Hermione hollered, but stopped mid-word when she saw Malena's long braid swing around to face Hermione, slapping a flushed Harry in the cheek.

"Hermione! Uh, I should get going now." Malena adjusted her bag on her shoulder and darted to the exit, but Hermione stopped her.

"No, no. I was going to ask Harry if he'd finished writing his letter because I have to go finish my Potions homework now. I didn't want him to be alone here though." Hermione explained quickly. Malena raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth to speak but Hermione interrupted her, "Thanks for keeping him company! See you later!" and bolted out.

"Well," Malena sighed, sitting on the floor. "Are you writing to anyone else?"

"Not really," Harry said, his hand nervously scratching the nape of his neck.

"Then Hermione left me alone with you for no reason," She huffed, getting up and brushing the dust off her clothes.

"I reckon we were laughing a few minutes ago," Harry recalled, smiling as he walked up to where she was.

Malena's face flushed as she not only remembered their conversation about her owl's bizarre name, but how his hands felt warm against hers and how his cerulean eyes had studied her face so closely even dropping down to her lips once.

"Malena?" Harry called her from outside the Owlery. As if she wasn't burning up already, she was sure she was the color of a tomato by now.

"Sorry, I got caught up in what I was thinking about." She shook her head and they started walking back to the castle.

"What were you thinking about?" Harry asked curiously.

"My mum. I've tried writing to her on a daily basis. She hasn't been right ever since.." Malena trailed, biting her lip.

"I'm sorry about your loss, Malena." Harry's tone was soft and sympathetic and it sent shivers down her spine. Why they did, she didn't know.

"Who were you writing to?" Talking about personal issues wasn't Malena's favorite hobby. Having told Harry about her Mum's situation was already enough of a revelation for the day. She didn't even understand why she'd told him anyways. It just rolled off her tongue. She already felt comfortable around Harry despite having started off the wrong foot. She didn't understand that either, but then again she didn't understand a lot of things when it came to Harry.

"My aunt and uncle," Harry couldn't tell her about Sirius just yet.

"Oh."

They were quiet for a few minutes, but Harry knew if he break the ice again, Malena wouldn't either. She had too much pride.

"Do you miss Quidditch?"

"I haven't gotten on a broom since summer." Harry noticed her stiffen up a bit as she pushed her hands deeper into her jean's pockets.

"Why haven't you? I thought you of all people would love flyi-"

"I just haven't, okay?" She mumbled.

Harry hesitated on whether he should drop the subject or not. He decided on the latter. He knew it was a touchy subject and that he had to handle carefully, but he was too curious about Malena. She was mysterious and he wanted to figure her out.

"It reminds you of your father doesn't it?"

"Potter, I don't want to talk abo-"

"You're still dealing with your father's death. That's okay you know. To feel."

"Stop it! I've dealt with it just fine! He's dead! Buried! Six feet underground! I'm just fine! Okay!" She muttered, clenching her jaw, accentuating each word by jabbing her index finger on his chest. For a second there, her brown eyes seemed clouded, but after a flew blinks, they were back to being clear and angry.

"I'm sorry, Malena. Just trying to help."

"How? Analyzing me? I'm not some puzzle, Potter. Not a puzzle, not a charity act, not anything. Just Malena. So I suggest you stop treating me like anything other than that."

"You're right, I'm sorry." Harry agreed, bowing his head down.

"Besides, you don't see me pitying ickle orphan Potter."

It was supposed to sting, but it did the complete opposite. Harry started laughing.

"Why are you laughing?" Malena asked irritatedly, elbowing him.

"Ickle orphan Potter. That's a new one." He said, flashing her his toothy grin. She couldn't help but smile too.

"I shouldn't have called you that. I'm one parent short from being that too." She whispered, chuckling dryly.

"Don't say that, icke almost-orphan Malena."

They had been so involved in their own arguments that they had already reached the castle's entrance.

"Although we've added yet another quarrel to our feud count," Harry breathed in, "I didn't have_ such_ a bad time accompanying you, Valverde. Probably wouldn't mind doing it again."

"Accompanying me? If I remember correctly, Hermione asked me to keep _you_ company, Potter." Malena corrected, looking up at him. This time her eyes weren't cloudy, or angry, but shiny. They actually sparkled. Meaning she was happy.

"Well I'd like it if you _accompanied_ me to my first challenge." Harry smiled smugly.

Malena seemed hesitant at first, but agreed. "Just tell me when and what it is. I can help you if you'd like."

"Thanks, Malena." Whenever her eyes met his, he felt warmth crawl up to his face.

"Yeah, well, see you around." Malena smiled warmly before pecking his cheek and heading inside the castle.

_See you around, Malena._


	7. Chapter 7: Hope this Helps

**Sorry it's a bit short, this chapter's basically a filler. **Happy New Year! I hope you all had nice holidays.****

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><p>The next couple of days consisted of constant teases and sneering comments from other schoolmates. It was was always either "Need a hanky, Potter?" or "Dating Granger, eh?" Add that to Ron's immature behavior and his nonstop nerves pertaining to the tournament and it equalled an antsy Harry.<p>

"Hey Harry!"

Another sleazy insult was the last straw. He had grown tired of having to put up with it. "That's right! I'm off to cry my eyes out over my dead mum!" Harry shouted, jerking around to face the speaker.

"No…you dropped your quill." Cho's voice was barely heard, she was stunned at Harry's outrage.

"Oh, right. Sorry." He said, grabbing his quill.

"Good luck on Tuesday, I really hope you do well."

Harry was sure he was blazing red now. There she was, the girl he fancied, wishing him good luck and there _he _was, yelling at her like a maniac.

"Er, thanks Cho. See you around." Harry muttered embarrassingly, turning around the corner as fast as he could, crashing against someone. "Sorry," He quickly apologized before speeding off.

Malena had heard Harry talking to Cho on her way to the girls' lavatory and had decided to come closer when she heard Harry shout, but had stopped in her tracks when Cho's soft voice resounded. After Harry's footsteps were far away, she sighed and started walking again, only to see Cedric and Cho standing too close for her comfort. Malena cleared her throat and the two sprang apart.

"Uh, we were just leaving," Cedric coughed awkwardly as he followed a startled Cho out.

Cho seemed to be everywhere lately and it was starting to get on Malena's nerves. One moment she was wishing Harry luck with her cute Scottish burr, the next she was snogging Cedric's face off. It seemed suspicious to her. Cho's small frame and charming smile could have everyone fooled, but not her. She could see right through her. Everyone has some bad in them and Cho isn't an exception.

The day of the tournament, Malena kept glancing at Harry from the Slytherin table. He was uneasy and his blank stare was starting to worry her so the moment she saw Harry walk out of the Great Hall, she took the opportunity to approach him.

"Harry, are you alright?"

"Not really. I'm a nervous wreck." Harry laughed dryly, making Malena's mouth stretch slightly in a small smile. At least he still had his sense of humour.

"Do you know what the first task is yet?"

"Something about dragons. Can we talk later? I've got to talk to Cedric."

"Oh of course, I'm sorry." Malena shook her head, moving aside so she wouldn't obstruct Harry's way.

He smiled wearily at her and started walking towards the Hufflepuff table.

"Harry!" She called, making him stop and look back at her. "Remind me to give you something before your task begins!"

Harry nodded and started speaking to Cedric, whose eyes kept finding their way over to Cho.

Cedric had Cho and Malena would have Harry.

After the all the champions had been called down to the tent in the grounds, Harry paced around nervously while playing with his fingers and biting his lower lip. He looked around at the others. Fleur was paler than the usual. Viktor had a glum face and slouched shoulders. Cedric was sitting down, shaking his legs, obviously just as distraught as the rest. He sighed impatiently and was about to continue pacing when he noticed the tent fold and head pop out of the opening.

"Psst, Harry!" Malena hissed, calling him over.

As Harry walked over, Malena's eyes kept scanning the tent to make sure no one saw her.

"What is it you were going to give me?" Harry asked impatiently, looking at Malena's empty hands. Her eyes were never still. She kept looking back at the noisy crowd and into the tent, gulping and kicking her feet in the dirt. "Malena, I don't mean to come off as rude, but the challenge is going to start any time now."

Malena hesitantly looked Harry in the eye and stiffened once her gaze met his.

"I hope this helps."

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><p><strong>Cliffhanger! What do you think is going to happen? Predictions and reviews are welcome! Thanks to everyone who's favoritedput on alert/reviewed.**


	8. Chapter 8: The First Task

**Hello, hope your new year has been good so far! Special thanks to chronicxxinsanity, ShadowOfMyLight, S.K Steven, and harrypotter554 who have all reviewed! I appreciate insight a lot, so thank you for offering yours to me. **

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><p>"I hope this helps." Malena huffed, pulling out a broom from a case behind her. "I remember you told me the challenge had something to do with flying so I thought it'd be helpful if I brought you this. It's my dad's old Thunderbolt. They gave one to each World Cup player and I know you already have the Firebolt, but I thought since this one's faster and everything." She rambled, placing the broomstick in his hand.<p>

"I-, Malena you really don't have to," Harry shook his head, running his fingers over the printed golden letters that read "Thunderbolt".

"Harry," Malena said sternly, causing his eyes to look up at hers, "Take it."

Harry nodded silently, pulling his lips in his mouth. "Thanks."

"Okay. Good luck." She waved at him before leaving to the stands with the rest of the spectators.

Harry managed to hide the broom without being seen just before his name was called up. Once the whistle was blown, his breathing got heavier and his feet seemed heavy, but his legs were wobbly. Beads of sweat had accumulated in his forehead when the yellow eyed dragon roared in front of him. Everything seemed like a dream to Harry. Hundreds of faces stared down at him, Hermione's caught his eye. "Go Harry!" He heard her cry over the rest of the crowd. He tried to smile, but then he remembered the beast sitting at the other end of the enclosure above a clutch of eggs.

He gulped and raised his wand, "_Accio Thunderbolt!_" Silently praying that it would work, his heart started beating even faster, if possible, when he saw its ebony wood emerge from the rustling trees. When it stood in midair beside him, he quickly swung his leg over it and zoomed towards the Hungarian Horntail.

After flying up high, baiting himself to distract her, he dived down in a flash, speeding to the eggs. He noticed the Thunderbolt was much faster than his Firebolt when he grabbed hold of the golden egg and looked back to see that the dragon was still up in the air, pretty far from where he was.

"The youngest champion is the quickest to get his egg!" Bagman yelled as Harry safely soared farther away from the beast.

The second he lowered himself on the ground and walked through the entrance, he was already surrounded by Moody, Professor McGonagall and Hagrid.

"Excellent job, Potter!" She praised him enthusiastically. Harry noticed her eyeing the broom in his hand, but exhaled once he saw her eyes glint mischievously.

"Yeh did great, Harry!" Hagrid cried hoarsely, embracing Harry in a tight hug.

Although it was very loud, one sound stood out the most. The sound of wood breaking.

"Wait!" Harry hastily pulled himself out of Hagrid's embrace and looked down at the broomstick in horror. It had broken along the middle.

"Harry, I'm so sorry!" Hagrid exhaled, his eye widening as well. "I can fix that for yeh! I promise!"

McGonagall grabbed Harry's shoulders and pulled him inside the first aid tent where Madame Pomfrey hurriedly treated him, dabbing the cut on his shoulder and poking it with her wand, instantly healing it. "Stay put for a minute and then you can get your score." She instructed, but Harry's adrenaline was running high. He had just managed to steal an egg from a Hungarian Horntail and break Malena's most prized relic, all under fifteen minutes.

"Harry, you were brilliant!" Hermione squeaked as she rushed in, Ron a few steps behind her.

"Whoever put your name in that goblet- I- I reckon they're trying to do you in!"

"Caught on, have you? Took you long enough." Harry said coldly.

The two started quarreling, but stopped once Hermione broke out in tears, hugging them both.

"She's _mad_." Ron mumbled, shaking his head. "I think they're putting up your scores now, Harry."

Madame Maxine had raised a silver ribbon that twisted into an eight. Crouch had shot a nine and so had Dumbledore. To Harry's surprise, Bagman gave him a solid ten and lastly, a four had erupted from Karkaroff's wand. Harry didn't mind though, Ron's outrageous indignation was good enough for him. He reentered the tent to meet up with the other three champions, but to his surprise, it was Malena who stood in the tent.

"You were absolutely amazing." A wide smile was set upon her lips as she stepped closer to Harry, ignoring Hermione's smirk and Ron's awkward stance. Slowly, Malena's eyes wandered down to Harry's right hand, the one that held the two broken pieces. He watched her eyes narrow at the sharp ends of the broken woods and climb back up his arm, gazing at his own eyes with an agonizing look. She raked her fingers through her waves and walked out of the tent.

"Malena!" Harry called, bumping into another person as he tried to leave the tent.

"Ah, Harry Potter! Congratulations! Can I have a word?" It was Rita Skeeter with her quill in hand.

"Yeah you can have a word," Harry replied venomously. "Goodbye." He spat before sprinting after Malena's fading figure.

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><p><strong>A few lines follow the book word by word so of course, I take no credit for those. Also, you may have noticed my invention, the Thunderbolt broomstick. Just wanted to add something of my own to mix things up. Would you rather I follow the books religiously or are you okay with me adding a few things of my own? Answer in the review, please. :)<strong>


	9. Chapter 9: Out

**A quick update, yay! Hope you enjoy. Again, thanks to everyone's who's reviewed/favorited/put on alert. Of course, I own nothing except for Malena.**

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><p>Harry never did catch up with Malena. After a few minutes of jogging behind her, he had somehow lost sight of her. Harry exhaled and leaned himself against the trunk of a tree, panting. Sooner or later, they'd bump into each other. They always did.<p>

The Gryffindor Common Room was as crowded and festive as ever. Gryffindors from all years had met up to congratulate Harry. He appreciated it, but it was awkward shaking hands with students he'd seen wearing "Potter stinks" badges.

Lee Jordan picked up the golden egg, weighing it in his hands. "Why don't you open it, Harry?"

"Yeah, Harry! Go on! Let's see what's inside!" The rest of the crowd egged on as well, but Hermione was quick to disagree.

"He's got to work it out on his own, it's a rule…" She muttered, her arms crossed.

"Same applied to my first task too," Harry mumbled back, remembering the broom incident, but was quickly pulled back by his peers' cheers.

"Well then?" An eager fifth year asked, pointing at the egg.

The second Harry opened it, a loud screech blasted from the core, making everyone instinctively cup their ears.

"Shut it, Harry!" Fred yelled over the wail, his hands attached to the sides of his head.

When Harry had managed to gather the strength to move his hand from his ear to close the egg, everyone quickly began guessing what the next challenge might be about.

"Maybe it's against the Cruciatus Curse." Neville announced with a pale face, but George assured him it was illegal and his face's colour slowly returned.

"Probably against some sort of shrieking creature: a banshee!" Seamus guessed, his eyebrows raised.

"Or a mandrake!" Added a young, blond haired third year.

The guesses continued until people started leaving after giving Harry their regards.

"Cheers, Harry." Dean Thomas patted his back and retreated to the staircase leading to the dormitories, leaving Harry alone in front of the blazing fire.

After having spent his evening clustered with a horde of people, he figured a late night flight by himself would do him good and it'd give him time to ponder about his upcoming task without having one of the Weasley twins smear a pastry on his face. When he reached the barren Quidditch pitch, he inhaled, his eyes fluttering shut, but was distracted from a sound that came from the stands. The sound of wood creaking. He squinted his eyes for a better look and noticed a body move into the moonlit section of the stands.

"I was just leaving, don't mind me." She announced, hopping down the stands and onto the grass.

"No, stay. Please." He answered, approaching her. "I've been meaning to talk to you anyways."

She slowly nodded and sat back down on the stands, playing with her hands on her lap.

"Malena, I'm so sorry about breaking your father's broomstick. It was an accident. Honest. Hagrid's big and burly and he didn't mean-"

"Don't worry about it." Malena said raising her hand understandingly.

"But it's your father's broomstick, I know how much it means to you." His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and shock. Judging on her past behavior, he had expected at _least_ a few jinxes. Then again, Harry reminded himself about how she had called him a judgmental git when they first met so he shouldn't be so quick to judge her anymore.

"I'll manage." She said, leaning her head on her hand. "It's not like I would have used it anyways." She murmured under her breath, but Harry heard her.

"Why haven't you flown again?" Harry asked. He knew she was probably just as passionate about flying as her dad.

"I…" Malena seemed hesitant to answer.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," He said swiftly, it was obviously still a sore subject for her and he didn't want to make things awkward between them just like he had done so many times before.

"No, its okay." She assured him. Malena didn't want to seem tender and flimsy. "My father taught me everything I know about flying. I'm not sure it'll be the same now that he's gone."

Harry noticed her head drop and her hands tensely rub her knees, accidentally grazing the hand resting on his own right knee. Before she could react and jerk her hand away, his hand gently crawled over hers, grasping it lightly.

"After putting so much effort in you, I don't think he would have wanted you to let it all slip away." He said, in a compassionate tone.

Malena looked into his familiar eyes. The eyes she had found herself lost in so many times before. Her brown eyes flicked from one of his blue orbs to his other, closely studying each differently-shaded blue speck. She noticed how his own eyes had dropped lower and were now gazing at her lips. He seemed to get closer, too. So did she. It was an involuntary movement; it was natural and instinctive, as if there was a magnetic pull between the two. When they were so close that they could feel their short breaths colliding against each other, she jerked her head away and his lips landed on her flushed cheek. Confused, Harry pulled back, flushing harder himself.

"Thanks, Harry. Good night." She sputtered, swiftly standing up and heading inside the castle, leaving a rose-coloured Harry frozen in his spot.

The walk to Slytherin's Common Room seemed eternal, but she huffed in relief once she got in without being caught by any patrolling prefects or Filch and his beady-eyed cat.

"Where have you been?" Daphne Greengrass stood a few feet from her, her green eyes narrowed and her sleek, scarlet hair glowing from the gleaming fireplace behind her.

"Out."


End file.
